John 6:25-59
Jesus is the Bread of Life
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi,when did you get here?”
26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life,which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Matthew 26:17-30
The Last Supper
17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”
23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “You have said so.”
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
In eating bread and when we eat and when we drink, let us remember our LORD...Jesus is our Bread of Life...
Christianity is an odd religion...And much of its oddity is surrounded by the One we follow...The Founder, the Teacher of Christianity was an Odd Man...Yet He is the the most unique Man, who ever walked the earth...But reality and life itself can be odd...Who would ever thought as you look back at your entire life, believe the things that have happened to you and what you have been through...Look at some of your friend's life and who they are with and their lives too...These things are probably something you would have never guessed...
C. S. Lewis said this about reality..."Reality, in fact, is usually something you could not have guessed...That is one of the reasons I believe Christianity...It is a religion you could not have guessed...If it offered us just the kind of universe we had always expected, I should feel we were making it up...But, in fact, it is not the sort of thing anyone would have made up...It has just that queer twist about it that real things have...So let us leave behind all these boys' philosophies-these over-simple answers...The problem is not simple and the answer is not going to be simpler either...
When Jesus said He is the Bread of Life, what an odd thing to say...He says He has came down from heaven...And He did not come down to do those things on earth one might expect...He comes from heaven to do whatever God asks Him to do...When we follow Him, we will never be thirsty for things...He will not drive us away, when we follow Him...And at the end of the ages, and the last day, He will resurrect us...For from God, He has the ability to give us eternal life...Jesus declares these things this way, “I AM the bread of life...Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty...But as I told you, you have seen Me and still you do not believe...All those the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away...For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me...And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of all those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day...For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”...
Many people do not believe that He is the Bread of Life, and the meaning of life and is from heaven...These things are not simple, because the answer to life is not simple...And even during His time on earth many Jews around Him began to grumble about Him because He said, “I AM the bread that came down from heaven.”...They said, “Is this not Jesus, the Son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?...How can He now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”...He definitely is not a simple Man, as we listen to the words He spoke...
For people who do not believe in the gospels or believe that He is a historical figure, or in what He says, He said this, or at least someone wrote this (about Him)...“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered...“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day...It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me...No one has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father...Very truly I tell you, the One who believes has eternal life...I AM the bread of life...Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died...But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die...I AM the living bread that came down from heaven...Whoever eats this bread will live forever...This bread is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”...
It is hard to literally believe that we can eat His flesh...It is hard for some to believe He can take away our sins...And the Jews of His time began to argue sharply among themselves about Him, “How can this Man give us his flesh to eat?”...Jesus goes on with this Bread of Life metaphor and in eating His Last Supper equates Himself to bread...While the Disciples were eating with Him at His Last Supper, Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.”...Then He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you...This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins...I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”...As we see here, He was constantly giving thanks to God, whom He calls His Father...
Jesus tells us of Himself being Bread...He equates broken bread to His body, and says when we eat, the bread we eat is His body...A Divine Bread from heaven...Some people today, still grumble and think, how can I believe these things...
For those who believe in this odd story, we believe that He is the Bread of Life, and is from heaven...He is the meaning of life...He is Truth...Jesus is our Life-Giver, He is Life-Giving, He is the Purpose of Life, and He is our Judge...He is this Bread of Life and without our daily bread, we will die...He is essential in our living day to day...He is the key to eternal life...